2o8 CANARIES 



root of the tail. This is where many good birds fail, 

 their wings, instead of meeting and being well balanced, 

 cross each other. This arises very often through the 

 back being narrow and roached, and sometimes by the 

 birds being flat-sided. The wings should rest upon the 

 root of the tail, and not cocked up so that a space may be 

 seen between them and the finish of the back. Bad wing 

 carriage is a very prevalent fault in the Norwich of the 

 present time. The tail should be short, very tightly 

 folded, and carried at a nice angle from the bod5^ of which 

 it should present the appearance of being a part. Some 

 tails look as though they do not belong to the body that 

 carries them, but as though they had been stuck into the 

 body because a caudal appendage is necessary to the 

 bird. Some are too long, some too wide, and some seem 

 to work on a hinge, and not in unison with the body. 

 A well-made tail adds greatly to the finish of a bird. 



Smart and Jaunty Carriage. 



It matters not how well built the body of a Norwich 

 may be, if it has not good carriage. The best body ever 

 seen may be spoilt by bad carriage, even as a moderate 

 bodied bird may show to great advantage by reason of its 

 possessing correct carriage. 



A Norwich should be smart and lively in its movements, 

 and show a jauntiness and pertness of carriage Uke unto 

 the robin. In this connection mention should be made 

 of the legs ; they have much to do with correct carriage 

 of the body. If the legs are too long the body will be 

 carried too upright and not enough across the perch ; 

 on the other hand, be they too short the bird will look 

 cloddy and heavy, and be somewhat sluggish in its 

 movements. With legs of medium length, the bird is 

 able to throw just sufficient boldness into its carriage 

 to throw its chest well across the perch, and for its head 

 to be lifted well up in a bold, fearless manner. So much 

 for structural properties. 



We now come to those which are really the finishing 

 points — quality of feather and colour. The feather of a 

 good Norwich should be soft and silky, the under flue 

 as soft and yielding as floss silk, and the top bright and 



